--- thumbing through the grains of a broadsheet, or the glossies of a magazine. With this day and age of the net and e-books and audiobooks, the novelty of reading the papers, magazines or books and writing for any [at all] has risen astronomically, at least for me.

October 2009

Issue, on the cover: Bea Alonzo

The first time I had a piece of writing published was in sophomore year in high school, for an

Inquirer

column,

Youngblood

. It was a story about our dog. I got published twice more in YB. I had more published articles when I started to work for my current company, albeit all product-related, and some for Public Relations. However, it's another level of high when you add two elements one can probably not think of offhand: a female magazine [a bible to some, like me!] plus an insurance piece =

Clueless

. Let me share it with you:

Clueless

Originally written in February 18, 2009

I’m

clueless

. Alicia Silverstone-type-of-

clueless

, that is.

Way past fresh grad phase, one would think that I have made my way into finding out about studying finances, poring over Excel sheets and maintaining books. But I’m nowhere near anything that requires computations.

As if on cue, my mom called from across the other side of the world to conduct a “catch up” on me, my life and gasp, my finances.

Que

horror!

No matter how good I thought I was at skirting the issue, my mom dug the cat out of the bag soon. Aside from bajillion clothes, accessories I never knew I had, spa receipts and mementos from vacations, I've got absolutely nothing.

Nil. Nada. Zero

.She tells me, “

Hija

, you’re a walking liability than an asset. For the three years you’ve been working, that is all you’ve got to show me. And, don't tell me that gadgets and bags are investments.”

In an attempt to impart a lesson or two, my mom decided to freeze all my accounts, all supplementary credit cards, leaving me a blank check only to be filled out by her sister, my

tita,

of a company’s name. The check, she instructs, is mine for the taking not now, but for the future. “Find something you can put it into that will give you something back in years’ time. If you learn how to put your money somewhere profitable, for a lack of a better term, you will get all your accounts back. And more.”

And so with a heavy heart and even more

clueless

-ness, I began my research into the pit of darkness also known as

moolah-generating instruments

.

So far, these are my options:

1.Garage Sale

. I have too many bags and shoes and clothes and gadgets and oh.

Forget it

. I’m not letting go of my bags/shoes/clothes.

2.Start a cupcake shop

. The problem though is I don’t know how to bake.

Cupcake by Eskimo Kiss

3.Casino

. Thing is, I suck at poker or any card game for that matter.

4.Donate to the charity

. Maybe my mom was referring to karma? At least I’ll be rich in good karma. Ha!

5

.

Try that savings instrument

SmartStarter8 thing

my friend Carla was blabbing about.

While I was not so keen on the thought, I was sold on the idea of

getting money [returns as she puts it] every three years for the rest of my life. Not only would this mean new designer bags every 3 years, the product, as she says, translates to an insurance policy -- something that I don't have yet. What a catch!

And this, folks, is the story of how I started my affair with math and saving -- without having to give up my shoes. Or my shopping habits.